The Dark Space
by Bleakly0125
Summary: In an alternative universe, at 18 years old River's life is turned upside down when she is handed her life long career. She meets a world not known to many and a man not many would want to know.
1. Chapter 1

Getting schooled

River sat their nervously biting on her already bitten down way too low nails. Today was the day that would determine the rest of her life and she was nervous. Today she was going to be given a career that she would need to keep for the rest of her life. She looked around the plain, mundane classroom and saw all her 18 year old peers looking equally nervous some even looked rather nauseated River made a special note to herself to sit as far away from those few as physically possible at the graduation.

The school that River had attended since the age of 5 was as plain as you can get the walls were white, the doors were white, everyone wore a uniform, grey jumpers and either a grey skirt for the girls or grey trousers for the boys. Everyone looked the same River hated that everyone seemed like a clone. River tended to stand out from the crowd even without trying for instance though every girl had to tie their hair back in a basic ponytail, Rivers hair was so curly that ringlets were constantly popping out of it, she didn't really care though she wasn't much of a girly-girl.

There was only one thing that River loved about her school and that was the view of the water fall. It wasn't a normal waterfall, it was called the Dark Space instead of water it glittered and shimmered and sparkled like diamonds. Every time River looked at it, it never looked the same. No one knew what it really contained, but that doesn't mean there weren't rumors.

To say the place was heavily guarded was possibly the understatement of the century. Day and night hundreds of guards wandered the perimeter of the Dark Space.

"Marley Saints" the teacher called breaking River out of her daze. River watched as the young girl who she had never really liked walked towards the teacher's desk to collect her robes. They always did the register in alphabetically order so River knew by now she was next. She gulped and tried to calm her hands from shaking, as her name was finally called and she walked to the front to collect her Robes, they lay on the desk besides the hologram of her teacher a pale blue flickering picture of a man River had only seen in person a handful of times. River took the top set of Robes and walked back to her desk in the corner of the room.

River ran her hands along the fabric, her graduation today felt so surreal but holding the beautiful Red silk robes with its gold trim the realization started to sink in.

Once everyone had received their robes the teacher sent out his final message for the class, " Class of 4020 today is a big day for you all, it is the day where you become adults and all of your hard work finally comes to fruition. You have all worked very hard and you will be matched to the future that suits you best. Test results have been analyzed, as have thoughts and behaviors' over the last 13 years and we feel here at Bad Wolf Technical College that we have picked the best suited lives for each of you. So be open-minded, embrace the new you and here is too success and your unlimited untapped potential. Graduation will proceed at 15:00 hours in the great hall" with that the hologram teacher faded.

River clicked the button on her wrist band and the time flashed before her eyes it was only 12:30. She had a few hours to kill. Amelia walked towards her, the small ginger haired girl smiling gently, she had no reason to worry she would be the actress she had always dreamed of River knew that.

Amelia was her friend since she was 5 years old, her mother had been an actress, her father a musician. Both were very dramatic to the point where River shied away from staying at her friends house.

Rivers parents were different her mother was an international business woman and from what she could tell of her father he was a world class adventurer. She didn't see him much but he regularly sent postcards such as pictures of him in the jungle or climbing a mountain or sailing around the world. River spent a lot of time with the nanny a bubbly blonde woman by the name of Rose who when River had got too old to need a nanny had stayed on to help the family as a house keeper.

Rose had told her that it was important from a young age to know what she wanted to do with her life, if you had a clear idea what you wanted to do then the tests and computer systems would pick that up in your mind. River had asked Rose if she had always wanted to be a nanny, she hadn't really considered a career she had replied she had been too busy chasing after a man who was never in the same place twice.

As for River she didn't know what she wanted to do, she just knew that she didn't want a boring life she was the daughter of two people that traveled all over the world the idea of being stuck in the same place day in and day out filled her with dread.

"You nervous? Amelia asked her.

"A little" River told her.

"Your not fooling anyone you know" Amelia smirked.

"Fine then I am terrified" River laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

Gate-Crashing Graduation

"Darrrrrrling!" River heard the voice echoing across the great hall in the most dramatic of fashions she didn't have to turn around to recognize that it was Amelia's mother. River turned around and plastered a sweet smile on her face. Amelia ran over to where her parents were standing and hugged them both. They were early. Her parents were both there to support her on the most important event possibly of her life and they were both early.

River looked around the room, it was filling up quickly all of the parents wanted the best seats. River wasn't sure if either of her parents were going to be able to make it. She was cheered up though as she saw Rose walking in through the main door and waving at her. River ran over to her.

Rose wrapped her arms around her, "How are you feeling?" Rose asked.

"Worried" River admitted. "Have you heard from either of my parents?' River asked hopefully.

Rose shook her head, "I'm sure they will make it if they can, but even if they can't they will be so proud. You look great in the robes too. Anyway I better go get a seat before they fill up, I will try to save two for your parents" Rose smiled softly at her.

"It's ok I doubt they are gonna come" River told her as the two parted and River went back stage to prepare. The head mistress of the college walked towards them a broad intimidating women that looked shockingly like a man in drag stopped just in front of River.

River felt Amelia as she hurried over to stand next to her just in time before the head Mistress started to speak, "Now the rules are as follows, everyone will go out in alphabetical order once your name is called. You will walk over to me, smile at the audience, shake my hand and then take your diploma, within your diploma will be a sheet of paper that sheet of paper is for your eyes only and that will tell you the career you have been given. You may not show your results to anyone. Not yet anyway. Congratulations Class" she said with out a hint of sincerity.

River seemed to be waiting ages to be called up on to the stage, it was doing nothing to help with her nerves. Amelia was called first River watched as she walked on to the stage and moments later when she walked back and eagerly opened her diploma. River knew that Amelia wouldn't be able to tell her anything but River hoped that she could at least see from Amelia's facial expression if she was pleased with the decision. She watched her intently and was sure she saw a hint of a smile. So maybe she hadn't got what she had wanted either but it didn't seem that she had gotten anything too bad all the same.

River heard her name called and she walked on to the stage, she looked at the audience and smiled her eyes lingered on the empty seats next to Rose but she gave her friend a sincere smile all the same, at least she had someone there for her not everyone was so lucky. Her headmistress congratulated her and out stretched her hand for River to shake. River shook it, cold and firm River thought just like the woman herself. River took the diploma and thanked her head mistress and then she walked back stage.

She looked around the room back stage and saw a mixture, some people looking really smug and pleased with themselves and some looking like someone had shot their mother in front of them. River looked over at Marley Saints who was looking mighty pleased with herself, Shame River thought to herself. River looked over at Amelia and she was now looking quite happy too which River thought was a relief, and then she took a deep breath and looked at the diploma in her own hands.

She opened it and inside there was a neat folded antique looking piece of paper she knew what that must be. She opened it expecting all of her questions to be answered.

They weren't.

Her note just read: Keeper

River looked up and saw a woman walking towards her in a jet black leather jacket.

She took River's arm, looked her straight in the eyes and said "We need to go"

"What do you mean we have to go? What about the after party?" River replied.

"You're a keeper now you don't get to celebrate with your friends I'm afraid" the odd woman told her as she began to tug River by her arm towards the back of the building. River passed Amelia and caught her eye but Amelia was busy happily chatting with another of the students and didn't seem to think anything of it.

They got to the back door, the woman in the leather jacket walking so quickly that River had to run to keep up.

She opened the door and continued hurrying forward, they were in the staff carpark and that was when River spotted her mother. She was standing there in Black jeans and a black t-shirt she was wearing giant sunglasses and standing on the other side of the car park. She looked at River, she didn't look happy.

"That's my mom she must have came to see the graduation, I need to speak to her" River said trying to pull away from the woman in the leather jacket.

"There isn't time" the woman told her. River looked back towards where she had seen her mother but she was gone.

A black van pulled up in front of them and opened the side door in the back, "Now get in" the woman told her.

"Why should I? I don't even know who you are?" River said stubbornly.

"My name is Gwen now shut up and get in the car" Gwen told her and with that she basically picked River up threw her inside the car and pulled the door shut behind her.

River sat there in pitch black darkness the back of the van was boarded up, separating it from the front. Then the van started to move.


	3. Chapter 3

The Dark Space Chapter 3

The trip wasn't very long maybe 10 or 15 minutes River thought to herself. She tried to follow the direction the van was travelling in her head and even though there were a lot of twists and turns she assumed North.

Then all of a sudden the van came to a halt. And the side door slid open.

"Ok this is our stop. Get out Princess" Gwen said standing in front of the now open door.

River hurried for the door and stepped out and looked around her. They were in what seemed to be an abandoned car park facing a huge abandoned warehouse.

"Where are we?" River asked.

"For now that information is classified but you will find out soon enough. Now come along we are already late" Gwen told her as she marched towards the entrance.

"Late for what?" River asked.

"The initiation" Gwen told her as she opened the front door to the warehouse and walked inside.

"Wow" River said. They were standing in what seemed to be a dimly lit shed. River couldn't see any doors or windows or anything. This place should have been huge but well it seemed so much smaller on the inside River thought.

"Things aren't what they appear to be here Princess" Gwen told her. She looked straight ahead at what appeared to just be a plain wall.

"Timey Wimey" she announced, looking disgusted with herself for having to say it.

Then the walls began to shake and shudder, then the floor started to shake and then began to drop much to River's horror. River watched as the floor lowered, and then they were standing in what seemed to be a state of the art lab with crisp white walls and computer screens lining the walls. The place looked very state of the art, River couldn't help but be impressed.

Gwen led River down a long corridor and opened the doors into what appeared to be an entrance hall. There was a glass table with white lilies on it and a scattering of comfortable looking leather chairs.

"Take a seat, I will send a guard out to get you" Gwen told her.

River fidgeted in her chair, playing with her hands and trying to occupy herself while she waited. She tried to think hard about where she was and what this place must be; she was coming up empty though. River had gone to school and came home, no one talked about places that aren't what they appeared to be.

A tall skinny looking boy with a rather large nose walked up to River. He was dressed all in Black, clearly a military uniform of some kind.

"Hello I'm Rory" he said running his fingers through his mop of thick brown hair.

"River" she said standing to follow him.

She looked at him and smirked.

"What?" he asked.

"You don't look like a guard" she told him.

"But yet I've been doing it for 1000s of years, must be pretty good at it" he told her.

"So where are we?" she asked, trying to ignore the weird statement as she couldn't see how he could have been doing anything for a 1000 years he only looked a handful of years older than she was.

"We call it the base, it's the head quarters for protection against the Dark Space" Rory explained.

"The base isn't exactly an original name for a head quarters" River mocked.

"This is why I told them not to hire any more women, always complaining. The doctor seems to have a soft spot for them though" he said.

"Who's the doctor?" River asked.

"You ask a lot of questions you know that. He runs the operation. You won't meet him though" he told her.

"Why not? Also why is a doctor running what clearly seems to be a military operation?" River continued to interrogate him.

"We lost a recruit quite a while back, since then he cut himself off he doesn't want to meet the new recruits. Very few of us here have the clearance to actually meet with the doctor. Now stop with the questions" he replied bluntly.

"Fine no more questions. So what is it exactly you do here?" River asked again.

"Oh give me strength" Rory replied hurrying away and leaving River chasing behind him to catch up.

They went in a lift and across a corridor and then he pulled up to a door and opened it, in the room stood a modest wardrobe, dressing table and single bed with a door next to it that led to a bathroom. "This is going to be your room. Clothes have been left in the wardrobe for you. You are to get ready and meet us downstairs as quickly as possible we have a trip to make tonight" he said and with that he left.

River sat down on the edge of the bed. So she was to start straight away in some mysterious position. She had seen the dark space, everyone had it was huge and could be seen from pretty much any part of the town, the beautiful shimmering multicolored waterfall from her classroom window but she didn't know what it contained.

She remembered growing up how the children said it was full of monsters. River at the time had thought they were just being stupid the way children do, but now that she knew she was going to be a guard there the idea sent a shiver through her spine.


End file.
